Help Me, Hold Me
by kayura sanada
Summary: Ryo suddenly finds out what he's craving, and that what is Seiji. But will he get the chance to tell Seiji just how much he cares before it's too late? And if he does, will he take the chance of his love not being returned? Undergoing construction.
1. Chilly Arms

Disclaimer: A shock to all, but: I do not own Ronin Warriors / Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. Duh.

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Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 1

Chilly Arms

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They'd gone their separate ways. It wasn't surprising, was it? After all, they all had completely separate lives to attend to. Shin and his family's business, Touma and his graduate studies, Shuu and his training to become a chef. And Seiji... well, Seiji had his own business to learn to run.

Everyone knew where they were headed in life... except for him.

Ah. That wasn't exactly fair. Here, up in the woods where he and his father had once hunted for animals to photograph, he knew clearly enough what he wanted. Not job-wise, but at least... goal-wise. But he was here to escape from that useless wish, to try to get away from what he knew he couldn't have.

"Thanks for coming with me, old friend," he said, taking a moment to lay a hand on Byakuen's head. He looked out over the crest of the hill they'd climbed together, taking in the sight of the old creek he and his father had camped next to all those years ago. Silently he led Byakuen down to those waters.

The wind was a soft and warm thing, here as spring made the wildflowers bloom all along the banks. He sat amongst these and just let himself look out and admire the view.

He sucked in a breath when a few certain flowers reminded him of the violet-blue of a certain someone's eyes and... he sighed.

He had to close his eyes then to try to get the image from his mind. Byakuen finally lied down beside him, and he stretched an arm to absently run his fingers through Byakuen's fur. "Someday I'll let it go," he told the tiger. "Someday it won't bother me anymore..."

He couldn't for the life of him say why he'd fallen in love with Date Seiji. What was it about the man that had captured Ryo's attention? He was smart, but Touma was smarter. He was beautiful, but so was Shin... just in a different way. And there were times when the man was almost cruel, mocking him and firmly telling him to calm the hell down and form a plan first.

It made him smile. Seiji, more than any other, had helped guide him forward. Though he hadn't listened all that much.

"I'd been such a kid," he said, shrugging it off. Byakuen growled low in his throat and lightly pushed against Ryo's hand. Ryo obligingly scratched behind the tiger's ear.

Touma had mentored him, as well, and had been there when he'd been desperately searching for Seiji and Shuu and Shin. Why hadn't he grown feelings for _him_?

Of course, it would be awkward to have feelings for someone in such a close relationship as Shin and Touma were.

And seeing those two in his mind, imagining what they would be like during the reunion, made him flop down on his back in the grass. Damn. The anniversary of Arago's death was looming nearer and nearer, and he and the others were supposed to be meeting at Nasute's outrageously huge house to celebrate. Did he want that? His gut churned. He wanted to see the guys – they were, after all, his best friends – but he didn't want to deal with his emotions. He'd left to try to get rid of them, after all.

"Guess I'm failing," he quipped, more to himself than Byakuen this time.

Byakuen just huffed.

"I remember," he mused, "when Seiji helped me against Mukara. He really didn't want me facing the man alone, ne?" The thought made him smile, if only for a second. "But... I guess all comrades are like that..."

Byakuen huffed again, then lightly swatted Ryo's dormant hand. With a laugh, Ryo dutifully returned to petting the big lug.

Of course, he could also remember Seiji trapped beneath that mad scientist's control, unable to move... he shuddered.

Wait... had the air turned cold?

He hissed at himself. Stupid. It was spring time. And besides, on a different matter... Seiji wouldn't think of him in any close sort of fashion, since the man was so tightly bound by honor and tradition. Loving a man was just...

Byakuen stood on his paws and growled.

Ryo snapped to attention, standing and reaching for his sword on instinct. He stopped himself, realizing he'd placed his kanji in a pouch by his wallet and reached for his back pocket-

A strange prickling sensation swept over him, and he felt another cold wind blanket him. Damn! He should've been paying more attention! Just because everything had seemed to be over hadn't necessarily meant that it really had!

"Who's there?!" he demanded, ripping out the pouch and tugging at the strings – hell! He shouldn't have tied them so tightly – he'd been careless! "What do you want?!"

_Wildfire..._

_Do you see me?_

_Do you hear me?_

Finally he could tug the strings apart and delved inside to grab his kanji in his fist. "What do you want?!" he demanded again, and lifted his kanji, courtesy of Suzunagi-

Then the prickling sensation grew and spread and snapped into tangibility, and he couldn't move. Byakuen's growling took on an almost panicked note, and he managed to turn his head and see Byakuen struggling in place. He was trapped, too.

He pulled his hands in front of him as if fighting against stone walls. The cold snatched at his legs, holding them in place, and moved up, up until his entire bottom half was frozen in cold, unable even to shiver. Then the cold grabbed his arms and clenched, and his kanji orb fell useless to the ground.

"Shi-" he tried, but the cold suddenly pushed into his mouth, robbing him of speech, burning his tongue and throat and freezing them to numbness. He struggled madly, but he couldn't move. And then the cold felt thick enough to gag on, to choke on, and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't get any air... he couldn't move...!

"Mmph!" His body felt chained, chained by cold metal, metal frozen in carbonite. The cold was seeping through his clothes to his skin, through his skin and into his very bones. And he couldn't... breathe...

He was helpless to move away when the cold shifted over him until it seemed to be lightly touching his back, his neck, freezing the blood within, and a chilly voiced breathed, _Do you feel us, Wildfire?_

He tried to speak, to breathe, to move, but he was trapped in the cold and couldn't do anything. His eyelids drooped without his permission; his body was becoming numb, yet he could feel the pain of the cold singing through his body. He could feel his lungs burning, burning for air, while the rest of him just... sagged. His head buzzed.

Was he... dying?

_We'll meet again_, the wind told him, and then was gone.

The cold vanished. The sunlight and warm air and heat all knocked into him so quickly it sent him crashing to the ground. His lungs heaved over and over again, even as the pain increased breath by breath.

His body shook and shivered in reaction, and he could only curl up and hug himself to try to maintain even the slightest body heat. He felt Byakuen's fur, just as cold as his own skin, before his friend nudged him. Ryo managed to look up and see Byakuen's own weary face and grimaced. Obviously his friend had suffered similarly.

"Byakuen," Ryo whispered, his throat hardly able to work for him, "can you get us out of here?"

Byakuen wordlessly knelt down.

"Thank you, my friend," he managed, and slowly uncurled himself from his position on the ground. It hurt like fire to move any of his muscles, but they absolutely had to escape. It was only after he pulled himself onto Byakuen's back that he recalled his orb, lying despondently in the grass. But before he had the chance to attempt to reach for it, Byakuen gently picked it up between his teeth. Ryo sighed another thank you before simply getting comfortable on his friend and centering himself so he wouldn't fall off.

Byakuen would take him to Nasute's, where the others would most likely be showing up soon. Byakuen would... would get them to safety... and they'd be able to face whoever... or whatever... this new enemy was...

And he would see... Seiji...


	2. Help Me

Disclaimer: Does anyone even need to see this thing? If I owned it, I wouldn't be bothering with fanfictions!

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Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 2

Help Me

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He blinked sleepily. Byakuen's fur was warmer now. Time had passed? Shit. He'd fallen asleep.

Muscles underneath of him coiled and sprung. Byakuen was still running. Ryo carefully moved his fingers up to the tiger's neck, eliciting a worried growl. "Sorry for sleeping there, buddy," he murmured. His eyes scanned the trees, but he couldn't see anything. With the way Byakuen was sweating along the neckline, he'd been running steadily since they left the river. "Thanks for the lift."

Byakuen just growled. Ryo's kanji was still in the tiger's mouth. He shook his head; his limbs were warmer. He leaned up and reached out, ready to take his kanji back, just in case something else happened. And cursed resoundly as he shivered.

Byakuen roared, in anger and in warning, and Ryo grabbed onto Byakuen's fur tightly. It was like the wind was made of ice, biting at his ankles. Ryo searched the area again. But even as trees and grass and bushes and wildflowers were all passed by, he could see no sign of an enemy. It was as if the air itself was attacking them.

_Do you hear me, Wildfire?_

Shit.

_Do you see me?_

But all he could see was a whirl of air, like a cloud, wising around his legs. He tried to kick it off and reached up for his kanji again. He could see Byakuen's eyes watching the forest, but Byakuen didn't seem to see any more than he could. "Byakuen," Ryo grunted, and Byakuen's eyes turned to him.

And then the wind spiked around them, blowing the ice up to Ryo's back, and Byakuen roared in pain. The tiger stumbled in its steps and suddenly Ryo was airborne. A hard thump and shout of pain later, Ryo skimmed across the ground, finally coming to a rest about two meters from Byakuen's struggling form. He grabbed his right arm in pain but managed to get his feet underneath him. But no matter where he cast his gaze, nothing but the mist-like wind could be seen.

_Wildfire..._

He flinched at the cool wind on his arms. Was the wind carrying the voices, or was the _wind_ the actual voices? He let go of his arm and pulled up his left fist, prepared to fight.

_Do you hear me?_

The wind stabbed at him. Cold. Everything was so damn cold. It felt as if his very blood was being robbed of heat, almost like sap from a tree. Ryo wrapped his arms around his body, his fingers already numb. And no matter how hard he scanned the area, the only damn thing he could see was the ice-cold wind and a forest he might have enjoyed earlier.

"Wh-Who are you?" he demanded, but his threat fell flat at his shivering speech. Byakuen came up to him to try to warm him, but the tiger's fur was cold again and only made Ryo shiver harder in reaction. Byakuen growled in sympathy but didn't move, allowing their body heat to bounce off each other and warm them.

_Do you see me?_

Ryo reacted accordingly, searching the woods for any sign of a person or animal, but there was nothing. He kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer in the negative. If this were some sort of trick by the enemy, then they certainly didn't need to be informed of his vulnerability right now.

But nonetheless it was there.

_Do you know who we are, Wildfire?_ Ryo hissed as the wind circled around both him and Byakuen. The tiger growled a warning and crouched. Had the wind followed them all the way here? It sort of clicked in his mind, as if the gears had been shifting in that direction all along but had been grinding slow as hell. If this wind was the same as before, that meant that Byakuen had been running from it this entire time. While he'd been sleeping.

"I don't care who you are," Ryo finally responded, but once again his words were completely ruined by his chattering teeth. He could swear his lips were turning blue. It was so cold, he was beginning to wonder if using the Wildfire armor would even help.

Byakuen growled, his eyes still trained on the forest around them. Ryo could hear sounds – footsteps, cracking twigs – coming closer and moved his eyes in that direction, prepared to finally fight whoever his enemy was.

And then the cold vanished like vapor.

Ryo swung around a sapling and fisted his hands, but as soon as the figures got past the last thicket of berries, he stopped. The surge of adrenaline that had helped him continue moving fled, and he felt feeling return to his extremities. The forest was warm again.

"S-Seiji?" he stuttered. His teeth clacked together rather audibly.

"Ryo?" the man inquired, inspecting him from his eyes to his feet and back. Touma, however, seemed to have verified Ryo's identity a little faster and came over to help him. Ryo hadn't even managed to realize that his legs had given out until Touma grabbed him and wrapped Ryo's arm around his neck. Ryo shivered. Touma's warmth almost seemed to burn him.

Seiji rushed to help then, and Byakuen growled and trotted off. A moment later, the tiger returned, kanji in mouth once more. Byakuen nudged Ryo for reassurance and watched Seiji and Touma as they slowly pulled him the way they had come. Through the trees Ryo could see Nasute's house coming into view. How hard had Byakuen pushed himself to get them so far so quickly? To escape those... things.

"Thanks, Byakuen," he managed. The tiger growled lowly.

"Ryo," Touma began, his voice low in deference to Ryo's condition, "what happened?"

Count on Touma to get straight to the point of a situation.

"I don't really know," Ryo told him honestly. The house was closer now. Their progress was slow, but it was definitely getting him there. And his kanji was close by now.

"You don't know?" Touma echoed.

And count on him to point out the fairly obvious, too.

Ryo shook his head. A whimper caught in his throat before he could fully stop it, and he ended up flinching as his muscles protested the stretch of his thighs as he moved. The cold had done more damage than even that; he felt weak. A downside to being the bearer of Rekka.

Ryo concentrated on getting one foot in front of the other. In the end, his ability to do even that started to wane, and he was forced to stare down at the grass carefully. The sun's rays got warmer, and he shivered again at the feel of it. It felt so good, even if it wasn't enough to fully chase away the cold.

"Let's get him inside," Seiji said tersely, and Ryo figured they'd reached the house. He couldn't find the energy to lift his head to be sure. "He needs to be warmed up."

Touma must have agreed, because Ryo fell a bit closer to the ground while a short shuffle and click sounded above his head. Shortly after he was carried forward again and the warmth and sunlight practically disappeared. He was officially indoors. Nonetheless he was still freezing cold, even though the heat from outside was apparent indoors, as well. Nasute didn't have her air conditioning on. Ryo thanked his luck for that, at least.

Another shiver skittered up his spine. He tried to ignore it.

It took him a while to notice how quiet it was, but he finally did. If everyone was nearby, they'd all be loud and rowdy, with Jun and Shuu trading puns and Shin yelling at Shuu to stop eating everything. But they weren't around. Worry made the adrenaline shoot through his tired system.

But Seiji only said, "Shin took the others to the beach."

Thank goodness. Ryo gave a breath of relief, let himself sag a bit more. "Why d-didn't y-you guys g-go?" he asked. Then he forced his feet to sit more firmly underneath him. Was it... getting colder? Oh, hell. The adrenaline snapped into his system once more, pounding thick in his blood. Were they back? Would the voices and the wind return?

He was startled to find that Touma had answered him some time while he'd been freaking out and he'd missed his words. "Wh-What?"

Touma patiently repeated what he'd said before. "Seiji was tending to his bonsai, and I was reading."

Ryo knew well that Seiji was devoted to his bonsai. He also knew not to mess with Touma when he was trying to read. So he nodded tiredly and let them drag his sorry ass up the stairs and down the hallway.

"Ryo," Seiji said gently as he stumbled through the corridor, "what happened? Not who or anything," he assured quickly, "but what? Why are you so cold?"

The memory alone made his shiver almost convulsively. His feet seemed to stumble over each other.

"Seiji," Touma reprimanded. Ryo heard the sound of a door opening and was about to stumble his way inside when his legs just... buckled. Strong arms grabbed hold of him just as his knees hit the floor, and with a small grunt, Seiji and Touma positioned Ryo into a fireman's carry and managed to get him through the door.

"Sorry," Ryo said, even as his head lolled onto Seiji's arm. "I'm just so cold..." He tried to stand and walk on his own, but it was less than useless. All he managed to do was lose the last vestiges of energy he had left.

Between the two of them, only a bit of effort was necessary to situate Ryo on the bed. Ryo was too tired to even curl up properly; instead he was left to shiver uncontrollably.

"Seiji, get an extra blanket," Touma ordered tersely. Ryo could only imagine what sort of spectacle he was making. Still, the only energy he could pull together was what amounted to grimacing. And shivering. "Actually," Touma said, his voice grave, "get as many as you can find."

Ryo listened as Seiji left. If anything, Ryo felt even colder. He tried to speak, but it sounded more like a whimper and he just gave up.

"Ryo, it's okay, buddy," Touma said reassuringly. "You'll be fine. We'll take take of you."

Ryo just nodded.

Seiji returned quickly, and they decided to just have Ryo lie on top of the sheets instead of trying to get them out from underneath him. Apparently they feared what doing such might do to his muscles, since they had no earthly idea as to what had happened to him. They piled more than six blankets over him, until he probably looked like he was wrapped in a tight cocoon. Or maybe they thought he was like expensive glass – meaning fragile. The thought made him grimace again.

Eventually things started getting hazy, and Ryo managed to uncurl long enough to drift into sleep. He thought he heard a voice, one that comforted him with words that promised safety. He let that soothing voice lull away his fears.

But he was suddenly so cold, like a meat locker, and he could hear...

_Can you hear us, Wildfire?_


	3. Warm Me Up

Disclaimer: Seriously, people. Ronin Warriors / YST isn't mine.

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Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 3

Time to Heal

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Ryo awoke suddenly, almost violently, and shivered convulsively beneath the blankets. He blinked owlishly then, taking in the space, understanding finally dawning. Nasute's house. He even recognized the room; it looked out into the forest. He carefully kept his eyes away from the window and instead studied the knick-knacks. It was apparent that Nasute's grandfather had had a hand in the decorating of the room; the statuettes on the sideboard were wooden and worn and seemed to depict carved samurai.

Had he dreamed the voices, or had they been real? He couldn't imagine they would be able to get past Seiji and Touma, anyway. The cold that would have perforated the area would surely have given them away. That meant it _had_ to have been a dream... right?

Reassured, he snuggled deep into the quilts, gently rubbing his fingers along the sheets. He could feel a warmth begin in the center of his chest and in the edges of his fingertips. He quirked up a tired smile. Thank goodness for Rekka; finally he could believe that he would be warm again.

He felt the bed tip dramatically and turned his head to see Byakuen lying down beside him, looking at him expectantly. How in the world was the mattress supporting his friend's weight? But he found he couldn't be bothered to care too much. The comfort was so overwhelming he found himself too relieved for much else. He sighed and closed his eyes. His fingers moved to curl around the quilts, and he pulled them more securely around his neck.

Voices sounded from a distance, but they were human and familiar and warm, and he drifted off into a more rested sleep.

* * *

Seiji entered Ryo's room as silently as possible, carefully clicking the door closed behind him and leaning against the wall. His gaze was studied as it fell on Ryo. He was nothing more than a lump underneath the sheets, curled up in a tight ball beneath the blankets. It unnerved him that Ryo could become so distraught. He looked vulnerable, almost weak. It wasn't like him.

But back when Seiji had touched Ryo's flesh, it had been as if the man had thrown himself into a freezer and had trapped himself inside for days. He'd been so cold and blue that Seiji had feared he'd been dead, his body limp on Byakuen's back. His breath still seized in his chest just remembering.

He'd been the one to suggest a cool bath to Touma, and the man had agreed. Now he had to awaken Ryo and get him to the bathroom. But Ryo looked so content under the covers, as if he wanted nothing more than to stay under there for months. Byakuen was a steady presence at Ryo's feet, lying on his legs. In the end, waking Ryo up seemed almost cruel.

So instead he watched the miniscule rising and falling of Ryo's chest and worried. He and Touma had arrived early for the reunion; it wasn't scheduled for another few days yet. Had Ryo been on his way to Nasute's already, or had Byakuen brought him over from Tokyo? What had happened to demand such a flight? His hands gripped his arms tightly. What had _happened?_

At least he was back. But the fact of the matter remained that Ryo was hurt and they had absolutely no idea what had caused the pain. Or even what the pain _was_. How had he been harmed by cold when the sun was shining so brightly? What could it mean? He struggled to understand, but his focus was clouded. The image of Ryo, corpse-like on Byakuen's back, just wouldn't leave.

"Help Ryo first," he told himself, and a list clicked solidly into place in his mind. "Help Ryo, _then_ find out what happened."

Priorities straightened, he pushed off from the wall and walked over to the bed. Gently he shook Ryo. "Hey, Ryo. Wake up. We need you to get up. Ryo?" The Rekka bearer groaned and shifted before curling up even tighter. Seiji winced in sympathy as Ryo opened his eyes. "Hey, there," Seiji said calmly, showing a smile for those bleary blue eyes. "We need you to get up for a minute. You need to be warmed up."

Those blue eyes squinted, and Seiji could guess there was a frown now marring those tanned features. "But it's cold out of the blankets." He sounded petulant, almost like a child, but he lifted his full head from the blankets, anyway.

Seiji empathized, really he did. Ryo was fire, warmth. Cold didn't sit right with him. Just as Seiji was more fond of mornings than nights, Ryo preferred summer to winter and hot to cold.

"It being cold out of the blankets is kind of my point, Ryo." A sharp snap of the wrist pulled the blankets away. Ryo shivered harshly at the sudden cold, and another cruel pang of fear snapped through Seiji's heart. He shoved it firmly away. "Come on. Touma already has the bath running."

It was like a switch had been thrown. "Bath?" Ryo piped, his eyes suddenly more open, warmer. Seiji saw the small rat's nest in Ryo's hair and saw flecks of dirt in it. Either Ryo hadn't taken a shower that morning, or he'd been very busy when he was attacked. Most likely the latter. Ryo reacted to danger similarly to Shuu – with an immediate, full-frontal assault. "Hot?"

Seiji just cocked an eyebrow at Ryo in response, even as his mind whirred. There were no wounds, and Byakuen had been carrying Ryo's kanji orb. So how much fighting had actually taken place?

Ryo lifted his chin in defiance and tried to shuffle himself up. Byakuen, however, was still lying rather pointedly on Ryo's feet, however, and Ryo ended up having to reassure the tiger that he could manage himself in a bathroom, thank you very much, before Byakuen was release him. Then Ryo was following Seiji down the hall, yawning fit to break his jaw.

"Touma?" Seiji called, rapping on the bathroom door.

The response was immediate, a quick, steady "ready." Seiji turned the brass handle, not wanting Ryo to feel the cold metal. He had Ryo enter the room first before closing the door behind him. "Hey, Ryo," Touma called cheerfully. Seiji saw that Touma was trying to coax Ryo into the water with his demeanor, but the coaxing was less than necessary. Apparently Ryo needed no urging, and without thought their leader walked over to the lip of the tub and began to strip. Seiji's mind dropped into the gutter, but he didn't look away. Touma's gaze didn't waver, either. Ryo turned to them with a frustrated look.

"I can take care of myself, you guys."

"We know that," Touma said, still cheerful, but this time Seiji could see the determined glint in the man's eyes. "We just want to make sure you manage to _keep_ taking care of yourself."

Ryo made a face, but he didn't push the issue. Seiji's body tensed; Ryo _always_ pushed the issue when it came to his independence. They needed to make sure he didn't just sink straight below the surface. He carefully adjusted his stance by the door.

Ryo, if he'd noticed Seiji's response, wasn't saying anything to it. His hands were busy pulling off his shirt, and Seiji got the view of tanned shoulder blades and taut back muscles. Then he pulled off his pants, allowing Seiji a view of his calf muscles, and mid-thigh; in deference to their presence, Ryo retained his boxers. The tendons in his legs stretched beneath his skin as he moved to enter the tub. The light reflected off the water and onto Ryo's skin, flashing it into warm hues of fire and shadow as the muscles reacted to Ryo's orders.

Shit.

Ryo screamed then, and Seiji moved on instinct. Ryo had pulled away from the bathtub like it was full of pit vipers, and his grounded foot was slipping from his hasty reaction. Seiji grabbed him into his arms and slid around to break Ryo's fall on his chest. Ryo had obviously attempted to get into the tub. It was too hot.

Seiji turned a scorching glare on Touma, furious with the man's lack of foresight. But Touma's dark blue eyes were wide, shocked. Horrified. A sinking ball of dread plunked through Seiji's gut, and it was with trepidation that he cradled Ryo gingerly in one arm and skimmed the fingers of his free hand over the water.

It was cool to the touch.

He turned his eyes back to Touma, and the two of them shared a short, vaguely sick look. Seiji felt a bit ill, almost sick with fear. Ryo's weight was a shivering ball in his arms, his body so cold Seiji's nipples had immediately hardened to rocks the instant Ryo's flesh had touched his own. He ground his teeth against the sudden heat that encircled his groin as his body finally took stock of what was in his arms.

Ryo's skin was absolutely freezing, dangerously cold. Somehow the Rekka bearer had managed to catch hypothermia on a warm spring day. Worse, the shivering was slowly getting worse. Seiji's interest was painful, but his fear was beating it out easily. Too cold. Ryo was _too_ cold.

Suddenly startled from his ruminations, Seiji pushed the dazed Ryo back from his chest and looked down at the man's feet. Fine. There were no new injuries there. His eyes turned to scan Ryo's chest and legs, trying to find a mark, a cut, a bruise. His heart skittered at the giant purplish mark on Ryo's upper right arm, but breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he found that it was just a bruise. It most likely had come from the fight against whatever enemy Ryo had faced.

Seiji sent another look Touma's way, but he only stood motionlessly. Resigned, he turned back. "Ryo." Ryo didn't focus on him, and Seiji had to clench his fingers into a tight fist in order to stop the shaking in them. They were on the cold tile, and it couldn't be good for Ryo in his state. Still, he was afraid to move someone so... so still. He lifted Ryo's head and stilled at the glazed, distant look. His breath froze.

Was it shock? The cold? He'd healed blindness, but he was in no way a medical expert, and he didn't know what to do. This was a chill Kourin couldn't heal. It was physical, obviously, but it wasn't a battle wound. Hell, he couldn't even tell _what_ it was because he had no idea what had caused it! If it had been a cut, a laceration, sure, no problem. But this...

Seiji wanted to curse, one long, loud stream.

"Ryo," he said again, keeping those glazed eyes on his own and trying to _will_ them into reacting. When he got nothing, he shook the man a bit. "Dammit, Ryo, snap out of it!"

And then Ryo groaned and loosely grabbed at Seiji's arms, trying to still them. Those freezing cold fingers still managed to shoot off sparks behind Seiji's eyes, and it was due both to relief and shock that he stopped. Shit. He had a problem, and with Ryo's legs still splayed over Seiji, it was a tenuous position.

"We're going to have to slowly acclimate Ryo to the water," Touma said, speaking up for the first time in a while. Seiji nodded, his back teeth clenched shut too hard for him to speak. He needed Ryo off his lap before he was discovered. This wasn't the best time to have an erection over an injured friend, but it would be even worse to be found out.

Ryo shifted his position in Seiji's lap, and his knee slid over Seiji's crotch. Sharp, bright lights flashed behind Seiji's lids, and a tinny sound echoed in the back of his head. He thought he heard Touma saying something, but the pulse of lust made his brain freeze in the middle of processing. He closed his eyes for a moment as the riptide of pleasure coiled around him.

This was disgusting and inappropriate. Not to mention indecent. He opened his eyes and carefully helped Ryo to his feet, making certain his friend was steady before letting go and getting some safe distance between them. It took all of his willpower to keep his eyes above Ryo's neck.

What he wanted went against everything he's ever been taught. It went against everything he _believed_. Everything his grandfather believed. If there was anything he wanted, it was his grandfather's respect. Homosexuality was _not_ acceptable.

And Ryo was his friend. His best friend. Someone he could rely on, someone he trusted. Friends did not fall in love with one another. At least not two _male_ friends. It wasn't right. How could he possibly maintain the relationship he shared with Ryo when he felt like this for him? What he had with Ryo was more than he'd thought he would get, growing up in the world he had. It was something he wasn't willing to risk.

Besides, Ryo probably wanted a girl. Granted, he didn't flirt outrageously, as Seiji was wont to do, but he'd most certainly had a girl before. He very well remembered Runa, how Ryo had cried bitterly at the loss. Why would Ryo want a guy when he could find a woman like her?

Of course, his logical mind pointed out, he could be bisexual. Right.

He shouldn't have even been thinking about such things. He needed to keep his mind on the business of _helping_ Ryo, and on the concerns of who their enemy was. Touma had situated Ryo on the lip of the tub, and he had to keep his mind as analytical as possible as Touma grabbed two washrags. He had to look at Ryo without thinking about how good he looked in those boxers, and his eyes couldn't dwell on the dark circles of Ryo's nipples. And he had to forget the memory of Ryo's body up against his. There wasn't time to think about what he'd already decided would never be.


	4. On The Mend

Disclaimer – Seriously, people. I don't own Ronin Warriors / YST.

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Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 4

* * *

They were about halfway through the process of cleaning Ryo when Seiji heard the distinct sounds of the party returning from their trip. Shuu's boisterous voice traveled up the stairs loud and clear. Seiji frowned and looked over to Ryo, still shivering on the lip of the tub and looking thoroughly embarrassed with his lot in life.

I'll take care of them," Touma told Seiji. He left his washcloth beside Ryo and stood for the door.

"Thank you," Seiji murmured lowly. Because he couldn't find it in him to leave Ryo's side.

Touma just nodded and left the room, and Seiji waited until the door clicked behind him before turning back to Ryo. He didn't look too good. His head was bent, his shoulders slumped. Those usually bright blue eyes were a bit glazed, either in shock or in some sort of pain. Seiji gently lifted the man's head and smiled reassuringly for him. "Ryo, I need you to sit still for me, okay?"

He looked about ready to fall over, either into the water or head-first into the tile floor. Ryo frowned as he concentrated. Just the fact that he _did_, that Sanada Ryo, of all people, had found it necessary to concentrate and focus, was worrisome. "I think I can," he finally answered. "Seiji?"

He kept a careful hand on Ryo's drooping shoulders as he dipped his washcloth back into the cool water. It was difficult to squeeze the excess water out, but he managed it well enough. Tentatively he touched it to Ryo's tricep. When Ryo didn't flinch away, he applied a bit more pressure and began rubbing. He very specifically didn't think about how supple the muscles were. "What is it, Ryo?"

He'd kept his voice kind and soft, and in return was graced with a blush. He bit back a groan. "N-Nothing. I just..." Ryo blew out a frustrated breath. "Just – sorry."

Seiji had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what Ryo was talking about, but still he found himself seeking confirmation; his right brow lifted sardonically seemingly of its own accord. "What for?"

"I just seem to attract the assholes, don't I?"

Seiji laughed even as a part of him snarled. He knew too well that Ryo was most often the one targeted in their group, the one always placed in danger. His strength, his vitality – not to mention that Ryo, as the bearer of the White Armor, had been their unofficial leader and thus both their greatest strength and biggest weakness.

He was well aware of how often those facts had almost cost Ryo his life.

"Can you... tell me anything about them?"

He'd been careful asking the question, but Ryo's eyes still darkened. Seiji ignored the raging part of him that demanded he take the words back, that he console Ryo with the promise that he could wait. Both he and Ryo knew and understood that time and understanding could make all the difference.

Ryo's voice, when he spoke, was steady but low. "It was like being caught in a blizzard completely naked, or being dipped into the Arctic Ocean in the dead of winter. Your whole body just seems to – to freeze or something, and – shit, that's hot!"

Ryo pulled his arm across his chest. "Ryo, I've been working your arm for a while now. You're only just noticing the heat?" Still, he was worried. The cold water was putting goosebumps on his skin. For the Rekka bearer to be so cold... it wasn't good."

"I've noticed _that_," Ryo sighed impatiently. "But when you put that on my arm right here-" and he pointed"-then it got too hot."

His heart thumped erratically. That was bad. "Ryo." He spoke only above a whisper, afraid his voice would crack if he went higher, but he grabbed Ryo's arm in a vice-like grip. "Whatever happened, it's left you too cold to live. I don't know how your body's survived this long, especially since your element is fire. This water is cold to the touch to everyone but you. I'm sorry, but you need to endure this."

"It's cold?" He looked at the washcloth like is held a foreign substance on it. Then he looked back at Seiji, his eyes glinting with something else. "You know, I think that's the most you've ever said at one time."

Seiji snorted. It figured the man would focus on something as inane as that. He ignored the comment then and got up to straddle the lip of the tub, ignoring also the cold water that immediately soaked his shoe and pants. "Turn," he ordered, and waited for Ryo to face the same direction he did before pulling Ryo down on him until back met chest. Ryo's body was like ice, and Seiji's nipples reacted immediately. He had to bite his lip as he began again to rub the wet cloth over Ryo's skin.

"S-Seiji? What are you doing?"

Seiji lightly rested his chin on Ryo's head, encasing Ryo in his warmth and getting the chance to breathe in the woodsy, masculine scent that clung tight to Ryo's skin. He ran the cloth over the place Ryo had pointed to. Ryo's body tensed against his, but he didn't try to escape again. "I do know a bit of First-Aid," Seiji said, his tone idle. "In cases of hypothermia, the best place to warm first is the head and neck, which helps the cardiac system and the respiratory system. And stop tensing up. Muscle use is not a good idea."

He felt Ryo try to calm down and smiled in encouragement, though Ryo couldn't see it. His pale hand ran the cloth down Ryo's arm and over his stomach. There was a sharp intake, but from who he wasn't quite sure. Under his fingers, the hard, smooth ripple of Ryo's abs could be felt, the muscles flexing ever so slightly under the little rag. Seiji had to focus to calm his breathing before he dared continue.

Seiji's control slipped, just enough for him to deliberately run the cloth over Ryo's entire stomach, dipping deftly into the navel for a short second before slipping away. He bit the inside of his cheek, his only way of controlling his need to lean his head down and _take_.

Ryo's chest was the next destination, moving back up. The skin was still hard and supple, toned a bright bronze. He traced his way up until he felt the rub of a nipple beneath his palm. Ryo groaned then, short but deep, and he stopped. "Let your body get used to the cold," he whispered. Damn him for losing control. He'd gone too fast. Ryo's breath was short, his body once again tense. He waited for a jerking nod of assent from Ryo before continuing, much slower, more clinically. He focused on being as thorough as he'd been before, but didn't let his mind wander again.

"Seiji," he heard Ryo whisper, and his hand stilled from its journey down to Ryo's legs.

"What is it, Ryo?"

"The... the rag is a little... cold."

The knot in his chest loosened in a whoosh of relief. "Really?" Seiji found himself beaming down at the crown of midnight hair.

Ryo nodded again, much more smoothly this time. "Yeah. It fells kinda cold. _I'm_ still cold, but now it's like I have something cold on me, too. Like melting ice cubes."

Seiji accepted that and removed the cloth, dropping it behind him on the tub. Ryo was still lying against him, his body truly starting to show signs of warmth. Seiji could feel the skin of Ryo's back, almost as if his nerve endings were hard-wired for the feel of Ryo's flesh. His body itched to entwine Ryo in his arms, lean down and – shit. He stood up from the lip of the tub and pulled his wet limb free of the water. He had to get away.

"Whoa!" Ryo flailed for a moment, his backrest suddenly gone. Seiji grabbed him and steadied him again, cursing his stupidity all over again. He didn't quite release Ryo once he was sitting up; he seemed wobbly still, liable to fall as soon as Seiji stepped away once more. "S-Sorry, Seiji. My legs are numb. And my arms. And I think my nose is, too."

Shit. "Get in the water," Seiji ordered, hiding the sudden flash of panic that sprang to life inside of him. "Now."

Those bright blue eyes looked up at him strangely. "Seiji, I can't. My arms are numb."

Seiji swallowed back a frustrated growl and scooped Ryo up. Ryo yelped, the sudden lack of control over his body alarming. He hardly got the chance to notice that he rather liked being in Seiji's arms before he was unceremoniously dunked into the cold water. "Aah, dammit!" But he was unable to find more words for the experience – Seiji was taking off his shirt.

His groin immediately reacted to the sight of all that pale skin, at those muscles clenching and pulling underneath the flesh. He'd seen Seiji topless before, of course, though it was most usually when fighting enemies or somewhere an enemy may show up at any moment. But tat meant nothing. That was _then_. Before he'd realized his feelings for Seiji. Before he'd been forced to lean back against all that warm skin and _not_ lean his head back and _not_, certainly not, rub his ass against Seiji's groin until they were both squirming and writing. And he most certainly hadn't been visualizing the two of them on the ground pumping against one another, hands desperately ripping at restraining clothing.

Shit. He couldn't afford to think like that, especially not now, when Seiji's half-naked body was only a few feet away from him and they were wholly along in the room – shit.

His eyes caught on the dark pink of Seiji's nipples, stark against all that deceptively creamy skin, and he had to wrench them away by force. Ryo could only hope that the hard lust that beat against his groin wasn't as blatantly obvious to Seiji as it was to him. Considering he was only in his boxers... _shit_.

It was distraction time. He tested his right arm, and despite the pain in his shoulder he found it moved rather willingly. "I don't get it," he said quickly, seeing Seiji's attention turning to him. "Before," he continued, "I was so cold I could hardly feel anything. And now I'm really hot, and yet I can't feel anything now, either."

That, he considered, was most likely because of his... interest.

"That's because your body is trying to adjust to the rapid change."

Ryo tried desperately _not_ to blush. "But why _is_ there a rapid change? It doesn't make sense."

Though he should probably drop the subject. But then again, what conversation could he start immediately afterward to hide his problem?

"Neither does the fact that you got hypothermia when it's spring outside." Seiji bent down beside the edge of the tub, carefully looking over Ryo's body for injuries or some other medical problem that was beyond Ryo's comprehension before giving Ryo one of his no-nonsense glares. "It's warm outside, warm enough for Shuu to want to play tag football." Ryo smiled at that. "It means that some sort of sorcery is involved. Perhaps the sorcery has worn off. If so, then your recovery will be much faster now."

Ryo shrugged and winced. Then he smiled in delight. "I felt that."

Seiji nodded. "Good." He unplugged the drain, then turned on the water. "Let me know when it starts feeling too hot." He managed to get it to lukewarm before Ryo, teeth gritted, stopped him. It was better, at least. "You'll still feel hot, but the best remedy is to stay in this water. Most likely scenario is that you're getting your normal body temperature back and need time to adjust. Use the water as your point of reference. When it starts feeling too cold, you're on the right track."

Ryo was treated to another visual assessment, but at least the water's change in temperature and the pain of enduring it had gotten rid of the little problem in his boxer shorts. He flushed, wondering if it had gone down in time for the _first_ examination.

"Touma's keeping the others downstairs," he said then, apparently satisfied. "Is there anything you need?"

Oh, Ryo had plenty of answers for that one. "No," was all he said instead. He clenched his hand into a fist and thrilled at the quick response. It was stiff, but he could fight with it if needed.

"Then I'll be downstairs with the others. Call for me _immediately_ if you need _anything_." He lightly squeezed Ryo's knee in warning. "Got it?"

He nodded dumbly, his voice gone.

Seiji left the room without looking back.

"Shit," Ryo whispered, and with a sigh he leaned his head back. The fire in his body was kept manageable by the water, almost as if the water were a cool breeze. He felt like he should be steaming, like the water should be dissipating in a hiss of white mist. He closed his eyes; the tile felt good against the back of his head.

He had to focus on what had happened earlier. He could feel the sharp throb of his shoulder now, and he could remember falling off of Byakuen, a hard thud that made him bounce off the ground.

Byakuen.

He remembered very vividly the vision of Byakuen's helplessness, the giant tiger trapped in place by the terrifying cold. What had happened after that? They'd run, and he'd arrived here, and then he _thought_ Byakuen was with him in the bed. But... he gasped and shot up in the bathtub. He couldn't be sure. He couldn't remember.

"Seiji!" he shouted, already clutching the side of the tub and struggling to get his damn feet underneath him. "Byakuen," he gasped, then again, finally getting his legs in position. His wet skin burst into goosebumps as soon as it touched the cold air, and with a catch in his throat he shivered, one long, hard spasm.

A towel hung innocuously on the edge of the sink, and like ripping off a band-aid Ryo pushed himself up and stumbled out of the tub to retrieve it.

Seiji burst into the room right as he grabbed the towel, sending a cruel shaft of air into the room. Ryo shivered again. "Ryo, what's-"

Ryo turned, rather stupidly surprised. Seiji was staring at him rather oddly, full of emotions Ryo couldn't quite catalog from his memories of Seiji Emotions. His eyes skimmed down Ryo's body down to his waist, and Ryo only belatedly realized that his boxers clung to him like a second skin. He blushed furiously, and thought it was far too late, he wrapped the towel around his waist.

Seiji's eyes greedily drank it all in. The damp ebony curls that matched the dripping lengths of Ryo's wet and clinging hair, the bronzed skin that shone like a Greek God's. And then those boxers, covered now but which had plastered itself all over a bulge that could only be one thing. Seiji felt almost weak-kneed with the desire to touch and grab and take. His hand clenched around the door handle hard enough to break.

Ryo's sky-blue eyes were wide, brilliant as any sapphire. "Seiji?"

Seiji blinked once, twice, urging himself under control. Ryo was his greatest friend, his most trusted ally, a very straight, very not-acceptable-as-lover comrade. The thoughts in his mind shouldn't even exist, let alone be placed into any sort of action-

"Seiji." Ryo's voice was urgent enough to break through Seiji's inner mantra. The blond frowned at Ryo's desperate face. "I'm worried. About Byakuen," he added when Seiji opened his mouth. "Have you seen him?"

Seiji's brain was slow to process that words, but finally they all clicked into place and he nodded. "He's downstairs with the guys, worrying about you. They all are. Are you getting out?" He wasn't happy about it, but he knew it was useless to try to stop him. So when Ryo nodded, he just opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Come on." He unplugged the drain again and listened to the almost silent chugging of the water down the pipes.

Ryo left before him, and he waited a moment before following, ready to catch the man at a moment's notice. The wet clumps of black hair stuck silkily to Ryo's back, forming mostly between his tanned shoulder blades, the muscles of which played and pushed as he carefully made his way down the stairs. Seiji could physically _feel_ the tendons of his control snapping under the pressure.

Ryo tried very, very hard not to notice how damned analytical Seiji was being, how the man's eyes only looked at him as a doctor's might, or how they would turn away once the job was finished. He tried not to think about how Seiji couldn't find him attractive, because if he did then why wasn't he staring longer, harder? It made sense; Seiji was a playboy, a ladies' man. Ryo had known Seiji wouldn't look at him that way, but still... still, it was disheartening.

But he still had to see to Byakuen, and he had to make sure he calmed everyone's fears. So he marched onto the landing, one hand on the banister, one on the towel at his waist, His steps were strong, bold. After all this time, he'd finally found out how to be a leader.

He just had to use his body language to lie.


	5. Revelations

Yay!!! Lookie at how fast I got this bugger up!!! ^__^ Misa so proud!!! *Looks around sheepishly* Uhh ... eheheh ... *ahem* Anyway, here's the fifth chapter to Help Me, Hold Me. Have fun!  
  
*Warning* - There's angst, some Ryo+Seiji stuff, and some slight Shin+Touma stuff, too. There's not much here, because I don't want to rush these stories. There's cursing and some body scenes. I warn you of them just in case there are some nose-bleeders out there. There's also a warning of Nasute and Jun in here. I'm trying to keep myself from making them into complete idiots. See? Id id it right there! I felt like calling them dumbasses, but did I? No! I deserve a medal ...  
  
Disclaimer - I own nothing. *sigh* I don't own Ryo *sniff* or Seiji *wail* or anybody else. *runs and cries in anguish* Bastards, they are, making us say that. But don't worry, my precious, we will help you ... ::sweatdrops::  
  
Help Me, Hold Me  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Ryo! Are you okay, buddy?" Kento ran up to him as he descended the stairs, worry evident in his eyes. He opened the floor for the rush of voices.  
  
"Ryo!"  
  
"Ryo? Are you alright?"  
  
"Ryo! We were so worried!" Nasute said that last one, and she launched herself from the sofa into his arms. Ryo blinked in surprise, and was forced to let go of the towel to hold her from falling to the ground. Her shirt promptly got soaked when it hit his still-damp chest, but she didn't seem to mind.  
  
He looked around into the distraught faces around him. "I'm fine, you guys. It takes more than bad weather to bring me down!"  
  
"Oh, Ryo! What happened to your shoulder!" Nasute backed up a bit and poked gently at his bruise. He winced slightly, catching Seiji's eyes. He was staring at him intently, obviously noting how close he and Nasute were. He blushed suddenly and looked down, trying to get away to grab his towel again.  
  
"Ryo! I'm so glad you're okay!" Jun said loudly, coming to stand beside him. He, then, saw the bruise too, and was soon peering at it funny. He gave up on the idea of modesty when the kid piped, "wow, that's big! How'd you get that, Ryo?"  
  
Shin was by his side in a minute to inspect it, mother-hen mode running rampant. "Ryo! That's a bad bruise! We should get some ointment for that!" And he was whisked away from the living room to the bathroom. He glanced over at Seiji over his shoulder, but he was looking away, leaning against the wall. He dropped his gaze in self-disgust.  
  
Shin led him in, having him sit on the toilet as he shut the door and turned on the light. The room was small and had only a shower stall instead of the tub like upstairs. The cabinet, unlike the one upstairs, was full to the brim with medical supplies. Shin had stocked it at some point during their stay with Nasute during the battle with Arago. He opened it now and took out something that looked suspiciously like a tube of toothpaste. Shin squeezed some out and rubbed it between his palms, watching him. "What happened to you, Ryo?"  
  
Ryo looked away, ashamed that everyone could see just how easily he'd gotten hurt. Shin gently touched his shoulder, and he jumped at the cold substance on his still-warming skin. "It ... was nothing, Shin."  
  
Shin stayed silent for a while, thinking. Ryo was comforted by the lack of nagging. Shin was always the first to understand another person's feelings. Kento was more likely to go straight to a point then all of them. He was more likely to rashly say something he'd later regret, but Touma always thought before he spoke. Seiji hardly ever said anything.  
  
"How did you get this bruise, Ryo?" he asked quietly, making it known by his tone that he didn't have to answer. His eyes, however, made it impossible not to.  
  
Ryo sighed and flushed in embarrassment. "I .. I fell off of Byakuen."  
  
Shin looked at him sharply. "Why were you on Byakuen on the first place? And how did you fall off?"  
  
He asked out of concern, not curiosity, and that was what made Ryo answer. "I don't really know, Shin. This weird voice came to me ... I dunno ... it asked me if I knew who it was ... they. They did. But ... I don't know ...!" He shook his head. "It was like ... like tendrils ... the cold was *tangible* ... it choked me ... we somehow got away ... that pert's kinda vague ... but I remember waking up on Byakuen and feeling them on our tail ... and I fell off. They left right when Seiji and Touma came along ..." He looked at Shin and shrugged helplessly. Then he perked up. "Hey, I didn't see Byakuen. Where is he?"  
  
Shin smiled as he wrapped up his wound with gauze. "He's lying beside Seiji, at least he was last time I checked."  
  
Ryo fought furiously against the blush that wanted to creep up his neck. What was with him today? Just because he'd focused so wholly on Seiji that he didn't see his faithful friend beside him ... the blush won the battle and blossomed over his cheeks. Shit.  
  
Shin laughed and tapped his shoulder, letting Ryo know that he was done his administrations. Ryo smiled at him in gratitude and stood.  
  
"Ryo," Shin said softly, so softly Ryo almost didn't hear, "it's okay ... you know, Touma and I have ... we've ..." Now, it was Shin's turn to blush.  
  
Ryo was only minimally shocked. "During the fight with Arago, I saw a couple hints about it ... but ... do you really think it'll change things between any of us?"  
  
He watched as a small smile flitted through Shin's face. "No, I didn't doubt our friendship, Ryo. It's just ... weird to talk about."  
  
Ryo laughed appreciatively, knowing just what an understatement that was. "So ... what are you getting at, Shin?" Ryo kept an innocent look on his face, hoping the boy that could always sense other people's feelings easily would be wrong just this once.  
  
"Well, I just noticed how you were really preoccupied with Sei-"  
  
"Shh! Please, Shin, don't tell him," Ryo pleaded, wary. "He doesn't like me that way, and I don't want to ruin our friendship."  
  
Shin's forehead furrowed. "But, Ryo, he-"  
  
"No!" Ryo whispered urgently. "Promise me, Shin. Promise you won't say anything to him about ... just please don't!"  
  
Shin sighed. "If you don't want me to, I won't. But, Ryo, you-"  
  
He was interrupted once again, this time by a light knock on the bathroom door. "Hey. Ryo should get back to bed." It was Seiji's calm, smooth tenor that slipped through the door, making Ryo's knees go weak under him.  
  
"Seiji, I'm fine," he managed, but by the tone of his voice, he wasn't very convincing. He went to the door and opened it, again forgetting the state of dress he was in.  
  
Seiji's eyes dropped to his chest almost immediately, and he devoured the sight of his naked chest for a few moments before switching his gaze to Ryo's shoulder, which had been expertly looked at by Shin. He forced his eyes up before they fell even further. He'd seen the way Ryo'd been with Nasute. And he was right. Straight relationships were correct. Homosexuality wasn't allowed. In his teachings ...  
  
Ryo's eyes held some sort of sadness, but they cleared into a wan smile as he tried to slip past him. Seiji just got out of the way, then got into position beside him. "You need to rest. You still haven't completely recovered."  
  
Ryo nodded absently, seeming to hardly hear a word he said. He turned to the boy, grabbing his good soldier to stop him as well. "Ryo? Are you okay?"  
  
The boy looked up through his ebony bangs and nodded, trying another smile. But Ryo was never good at hiding things. "I'm fine, Seiji. Just ... thinking."  
  
Seiji waited for clarification, but, for once, it didn't come. He led the boy upstairs, worried. This just wasn't like him.  
  
Ryo watched Seiji from the safety of his bangs. He had donned on another shirt, and it rippled over his muscles appealingly. Ryo looked down, ashamed that he couldn't stop the feelings that could jeopardize his friendship with the man he'd fallen in love with. He'd do anything to make sure that didn't happen.  
  
*  
  
A/N: There you go! It's short, but it's there! Misa so HAPPY!!! ^___^ And here's a happy hello to you, my heroes! ^_^;;  
  
Legolas19 - Thank you so much! I hope it still is!  
  
zorra - Thanks for the huge amounts of happy compliments! I can't wait for the next attack, too, but I can't rush it, or else it would seem really stupid. I'm so horrible; I love Ryo torture, yet he's, like, my favorite character. ?_? I don't get it.  
  
Wildfire Peace - I know that they're short, but they at least come out. Please don't give up on me. I'm coming out faster, see? *points at newest chapter* Great, isn't it? ^_^;;  
  
Quiet Chaos - THANKS!!! That was such a nice compliment!!! *Waves fan over her face* I'm so happy you like these stories! I hope this chapter lives up to the greatness you bestowed upon me! ^__^;;;;;  
  
Thank you so much for being patient with my updates. I'm trying to get these up faster. My life is now computer and school, nothing else. I don't mind, though! See you soon! 


	6. Wanting Fire

Hiya again! I got the next chapter out! Are you thrilled? I am!!! Anyway, here you go. Hope you're pleased!  
  
*Warning* - There's some definite Ryo+Seiji hints and some even more definite Shin+Touma hints. There's some cursing, fairly mild in my opinion, some angst, and some sap. Anything else? You tell me.  
  
Disclaimer - I own nothing. Not Ryo, not Seiji. Nope. Not even a hair on either of their heads. *Sighs* I'm so disheartened now ...  
  
Help Me, Hold Me  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Ryo stood at the doorjamb leading into his room, staring intently at Seiji and wishing he had the power to say good-bye and close the door. Instead, he found himself studying Seiji's face and memorizing the high, firm cheekbones and full lips and startlingly clear violet eye. He wanted to push back Seiji's hair that effectively hid his other eye to stare into both of them.  
  
But that was a dangerous leap over the friendship line. If he went with the impulse, who knew what would become of their friendship? Ryo couldn't take the chance that he'd lose Seiji completely. He lowered his gaze to the ground, only then noticing that he still wore only the minimal amount of clothing. Shit!  
  
"Get some rest, Ryo," Seiji murmured softly, and turned to head down the stairs to the others.  
  
"Seiji?"  
  
The blonde turned back to look Ryo in the eye, feeling himself fall into the boy's sky-blue orbs. He shook his mind free from the imprisoning trance. "Yes?"  
  
Seiji watched as a multitude of emotions crossed the boy's face, until they were hopelessly tangled within one another. The urge to hug the boy and comfort him through whatever was bothering him was almost too strong to resist. The Rekka bearer was lost in his emotions, and Seiji felt the same. He had to meditate and become in tune with his spirit again. He had to find out just how much he was caring for the black-haired man before him.  
  
"Nevermind," Ryo finally whispered, and Seiji saw that his knuckles were white as he clenched the doorjamb.  
  
Seiji nodded and continued his path to the stairway, then stopped and turned back around. Ryo was still looking at him. "Ryo, may I ask you something?"  
  
Something akin to trepidation crossed Ryo's face. "Yeah, sure, Seiji. What is it?"  
  
"When did you come back, and why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Ryo's tension dissolved, then guilt flooded his face. "I'm sorry. I was preparing to tell you ... I didn't like being in Tokyo as much as I thought I would, so I returned here. I went home, then headed out to the forest. I didn't expect to be attacked." He winced. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you as soon as I got here."  
  
Seiji smiled. Actually, he was thankful that Ryo wasn't a city lover. He was afraid Ryo would want to stay in Tokyo, and they would barely see one another. He didn't want that. "It's fine, Ryo," he reassured, and finally got down the steps and entered the crowded living room.  
  
"How is he?" Touma asked, and he nodded at the man to show that Ryo was fine.  
  
"Hey, who did it to him, huh?" Shuu demanded, punching a fist into his open palm. "I'll show them what happens when they mess with the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers!"  
  
Seiji shook his head. "Calm down, Shuu," the blonde ordered. "Ryo can't remember his attackers. We don't know who - or what - they are. So just chill out."  
  
Instead, Shuu just got angrier. "Dammit, I wanna DO something!"  
  
"Then sit down," Touma joked, and Shuu rounded on him.  
  
"Hey, that's not what I mean and you know it! I wanna get these bastards!"  
  
Touma rolled his eyes. "That's a good approach, Shuu," he yawned, "go out and fight with no clue who your enemies are and what they're capable of. Let alone where they are ..."  
  
Shuu steamed, but quieted. Shin could still hear him mumbling, however. Something about their strengths not mattering if he could knock them unconscious. Shin frowned. "We need to work together," he said calmly. "Ryo's hurt, and we need to help him. That comes first. If they come to attack, then we'll think about them."  
  
Seiji nodded. "But we need a plan, just in case."  
  
Touma nodded in agreement. "We need to be prepared."  
  
Shin looked at his love and watched Shuu. He seemed to be listening, if sulking a bit. He looked back at Touma, smiling as their eyes met. Touma returned the smile. If Shuu weren't in-between them, their hands would have clasped together. Shin took comfort in the love that shone in Touma's eyes and looked at Seiji. "So, what should we do?"  
  
Byakuen growled lightly and stood, lumbering forward. The Troopers watched as Byakuen laid back down in the middle of the room.  
  
Touma laughed. "I guess Byakuen wants a say in this, too."  
  
Seiji watched in interest. Byakuen always stuck close to Ryo, and he was there when Ryo'd been attacked. He'd seen a bright intelligence in the animal's eyes. They'd be in Byakuen's debt if he could provide them with any sort of help.  
  
He looked back at the others. "We need to have our armors near at all times, and we shouldn't go out alone. It seems Ryo had only been able to escape thanks to Byakuen." He mentally thanked both the tiger and whoever was watching for that miracle.  
  
"Yes, Ryo said that he'd only gotten away because of Byakuen," Shin said, and Seiji's head snapped to the red-haired boy. Shin, however, was unaware of Seiji's sudden change in attitude. "He said that the cold was tangible; that it had choked him." Shin looked at Touma again. "I'm worried."  
  
Touma wished he could grab Shin and hold him close, but they were afraid of what the others would think. For now, they would deal with the feelings of need and trepidation that battled within them. "What else did he say?"  
  
"His memory of them escaping was vague and indistinct, but he remembered voices calling him."  
  
"Nether spirits?" Touma thought aloud.  
  
Seiji shook his head. "I doubt it. And they never made us feel such terrible temperature drops. No, I don't think it was them."  
  
"Then who could it be?" Shuu asked, and he seemed genuinely interested. "We don't know anybody else that can be invisible-like, do we?"  
  
Touma shook his head. "No, we don't know anyone else `invisible-like'." He chuckled at his friend as Shuu bristled.  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Stop bickering, the both of you," Seiji snapped. "It doesn't matter *who* the enemy is. It matters what they're after and what they can do. We need to have a watch set up for Ryo, and we need his injuries to heal, relatively painless as they may be. I'll fix his shoulder and man the first watch."  
  
That decided, the team broke up, Touma and Shin to go to their adjoining rooms and Shuu to the kitchen. Nasute and Jun, who had been listening silently, raced up to Seiji. He wasn't in the mood to deal with them right now, but he stopped and waited for them to speak what was on their mind.  
  
"Seiji," Nasute started, "do you really think they'll come to the house?"  
  
Seiji shrugged. "We know nothing concrete about the enemy," Seiji replied, rather curtly. "We have to be ready for anything. It's more precaution than anything else, Nasute."  
  
She nodded, accepting that answer. "I'll see if I can find out anything about these guys." And she left to her computer, turning it on and waiting for it to boot up.  
  
Jun stayed by Seiji's side, and he finally looked to the growing boy. He was ... what? Around twelve, Seiji guessed. And yet the boy could still seem to cling like a leech, especially to his `hero', Ryo.  
  
"Seiji, is Ryo gonna be okay?"  
  
Seiji smiled reassuringly at the boy. "Yes, Ryo will be just fine." He reached for the banister, but Jun was still standing still, and the Kourin bearer looked back at the boy once again. "What is it, Jun?"  
  
"I wanna help!" the boy said suddenly. "I really wanna help you guys."  
  
Seiji was surprised. Usually, the boy, even if he did offer to help, got in the way. But he was older ... Seiji didn't like variables, but he figured Nasute could handle him. He hoped. "Could you help Nasute? We need all the information we can get about these guys."  
  
"Sure!" The boy said loudly, and bounced over to Nasute to `help out'.  
  
Seiji shook his head and climbed the stairs, heading straight for Ryo's room. He'd grabbed his kanji as soon as he'd left the bathroom, donning a new shirt in the process. The shirt was violet silk, and he'd caught Ryo looking at it. He told himself that Ryo's thoughts were obviously platonic. Hadn't he been getting comfortable with Nasute earlier?  
  
He knocked lightly on Ryo's door. There was no response, and he silently opened the door.  
  
Ryo slept peacefully on the bed, the covers pulled up to his waist and no farther, giving the blonde warrior a perfect view of the tanned chest and pink nipples. Seiji's breath caught in his chest, and he fought in vain for some shreds of control. He had to wake Sleeping Beauty up and heal his shoulder and any other injuries the leader of their gang had sustained.  
  
But that didn't mean he couldn't look his fill first, did it?  
  
*  
  
A/N: A poor ending, but I wanted to stop writing so I could get this out before the end of the day. Was this good? Please review! It really makes me happy! I'm sorry it took a while to get this out; hope it's long enough to fill your tastes for a bit! I had no homework today! Joy! Here's my hello's to you all!  
  
Legolas19 - A friend of mine told me Ronin Warriors was on DVD and I was like, "no fucking way!" Needless to say, I snatched them up helluva quick. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying my stories! You're great! I hope this makes up for the wait! Enjoy!  
  
WildfirePeace - That's the great thing about stories: you can give them good endings. I hope my muses allow me to do that. Kanashii likes to end things off with a death, but I don't think I'll let her do that. *smiles* Sadness usually makes things better for the couple in the end - if they live. Anyway, I hope this is good. Take care! ^__^;;  
  
Han-Koorime-Kitsune - I'll definitely continue writing, with that kind of praise!!! ^_^ Thank you so much! I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! And I've definitely noticed all the angst. Ryo thinks Seiji thinks he's ugly, Seiji thinks Ryo likes Nasute ... O_O I would never have that actually happen, let me assure you right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this!  
  
zorra - Homework? Who needs homework? *sighs* I, unfortunately, have friends who will remind me what my homework was if I was lucky enough to forget. *sighs again* I didn't get it up soon, so the length hopefully makes up for that a bit. It was actually a normal length, not short! *gasps* Unbelievable! And I can see what you mean ... I just try to have him live through it, because I believe in that saying that some things are worse than death. That's kind of obvious in my other RW story. ::sweatdrops::  
  
Quiet Chaos - Please, don't stop there. Go on about how fabulous I am ... *giggles nervously* Just kidding. Seriously, I'm honored that you see my stories as works of greatness. Thank you SOOO much for all the support. You're great! I hope my stories keep meeting your standards!  
  
Thank you all SO much for all of your wonderful reviews. I just can't thank you all enough. Please, review this chapter, too. It really makes my day. ^_^ See you! 


	7. Leaps and Bounds

Hi! I'm SOOOO sorry for not getting this out, and for having it fairly short. sighs Life keeps me busy. And I'm gonna have a job by the end of next week ... so I wanna get these out ASAP. If you send me, let's say, 3-4 reviews, I'll start on the next chapter. Does that sound good? Do it as soon as you can, because it may take me a while after I get a job!  
  
Warning - There's slight cursing, angst, and a beginning of sap. Unbelievable, eh? ;; Yeah ... Ai got out ...  
  
Disclaimer - Nope. Not mine. Bandai's, or somebody like that. Sunrise? I dunno. Not me. weeps softly I don't even own the DVD's I have ... not really ... cries openly and runs away  
  
Help Me, Hold Me  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Seiji stepped forward, looking over Ryo carefully. His hair was fanned around his face, his eyelids fluttering as he breathed. Seiji's hand was on its way to his parted lips before he was consciously aware of it, and he snapped it back almost painfully when he saw it way it out there.  
  
"Ryo," he whispered, almost pained to wake him up. He looked so peaceful, sleeping there like that. Who was he to disturb that? Besides, Ryo needed his rest, didn't he?  
  
So Seiji pulled up a chair and contented himself to watch Ryo, closing his eyes and beginning to meditate. There was no better time to find out exactly how he was feeling then meditation.  
  
His breathing regulated and his thoughts became linear. This was second nature to him. He slid easily into the trance that meditation brought, feeling the calm overtake him , just as it always did.  
  
Ryo. That was what he needed to focus on. Physically, the boy was certainly no slouch. But he'd seen many men who look just as fine. It was just Ryo, though, that held his every thought and action in check. Why was that?  
  
His Kanji was righteousness. Ryo took things seriously, despite his fairly easygoing attitude. He was always there for his friends, and felt guilty if anything should happen to any one of them. There was such virtue in his actions ... it made him seem even more beautiful.  
  
His thoughts were focused on Ryo's attributes more than the reasons why they appealed to him. He slowly pulled out of that and steered himself to where he wanted to go. He'd been brought up in a household where strong virtue and grace were key. So, of course, Ryo's beliefs would draw Seiji close. And, physically, Ryo would attract anyone with two eyes.  
  
And yet, there was a sort of aura that permeated the air around the man. A sort of lonely beauty that left Seiji gasping for breath whenever he was near the man.  
  
That was the pull. Ryo was unknowingly pulling Seiji in. And Seiji found that he was too far in to get himself out, even if he wanted to.  
  
  
  
Seiji was still as a stone beside Ryo as he shifted in the bed. His breathing had changed subtilely, so Seiji knew that he was waking up. He watched the boy as he turned to face the side Seiji sat on, still not having healed Ryo's minor wound. It showed starkly against the moonlight now trickling through the open windows. Ryo's eyelids fluttered open, and his eyes shone brilliant in the night's vision. Seiji's breath caught.  
  
Ryo's brows furrowed in worry. "Seiji? What's wrong?" His voice was groggy and a bit slurred from sleep, and it sounded positively heavenly to Seiji's ears. He felt an unexplainable urge to join Ryo in bed and quickly squelched it.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, Ryo," he assured, standing. "I just wanted to heal your bruise."  
  
Ryo seemed to have to think about that. "Oh, yeah. That's no big deal." He tried to smile encouragingly for him. Seiji noticed a flicker of fear in Ryo's eyes.  
  
"We should get it healed anyway, just in case." He closed his eyes and quickly donned his armor. "Come on, Ryo, it'll only be a minute, then you can go back to sleep."  
  
A naked pain shot into Ryo's eyes and lingered. "No, that's okay, Seiji. It'll be fine in a few days ..."  
  
Seiji sighed. "We may not have a few days, Ryo. We need you at full strength to fight whatever it is that's coming. We may not be able to defeat them without you." He hated using Ryo's harsh sense of responsibility for all of them, but it made him sit up, though he carefully kept the sheets up in front of him, hiding his chest. It fell off his back, however, and Seiji was rewarded with a very generous sight of muscle and sinew rippling down his back.  
  
What was with Ryo's modesty? He'd let the towel drop for Nasute. Why couldn't he let Seiji see things, when he was doing something as innocent as healing him? He wasn't trying to hug the air out of the boy.  
  
Seiji found his thoughts darkening and shook his head to clear it. What was wrong with him? He hadn't lost his temper since he was a child. Ryo was somehow able to get under his skin without a second thought.  
  
"Seiji? Is something wrong?"  
  
Seiji's eyes latched to Ryo's, watching him intensely. He tried to convey the strange feelings inside him without having to speak. "Ryo, drop the sheets. I need to heal you, and those things will get in the way." He waited long moments, until Ryo finally decided to let them go.  
  
Seiji's breath caught in his throat despite himself. His gaze fell to Ryo's chest, lingering on the nubs of his nipples, erect from something though the temperature seemed fine. Then they fell to his smooth stomach, noting the perfect tan that covered the entire surface of his delectable flesh. Seiji's eyes slowly came up to Ryo's face, noting the anxiety in the tiger-blue eyes. He saw Ryo's hand twitch and grabbed it as it tried to bring the sheets back up. Did Ryo know he was taking an interest in him? Did it disgust and scare him? No, that wasn't the aura he found was emanating powerfully from the Troopers' leader. Then what was it?  
  
He could almost swear that it was trepidation. But of what? Of him? But why? Seiji couldn't understand it. Was Ryo worried about his seeing his bruise? His stomach? What the hell was going on here?  
  
"Here," he whispered softly, finding his voice almost gruff and unable to change it. "Let me heal you." And he set about doing just that, noticing the beautiful ripple of muscle in Ryo's arm as he positioned it.  
  
There was a long silence. In it, Seiji could practically hear Ryo's thoughts moving. They whirred almost painfully, and a myriad of emotions swept through the boy's face.  
  
"S-Seiji?"  
  
Ryo's voice was soft and hesitant and so totally unlike him that Seiji tensed before he could help himself. "What is it, Ryo?" He kept his voice calm and soft, trying to calm his friend's anxieties.  
  
"I ... When I was ... out ... in the forest ... I ..." Ryo glanced at him quickly, then back down at the sheets.  
  
Seiji couldn't help but notice how disturbingly intimate the scene was. The moon filtered through Ryo's window, alighting the dark room, throwing Ryo's hair into a strange halo before melting in with the darkness. Seiji couldn't believe he'd never noticed the undeniable attraction he felt for the Rekka bearer before. It seemed so obvious now.  
  
He wondered what Ryo was trying to say, but didn't try to force it out of the boy. He was obviously upset by what he was attempting to talk about. He waited patiently for Ryo to continue, knowing that he would.  
  
It was a long time before Ryo tried again. "When I was out there, I was thinking. About ... about us. The Ronin Warriors. You guys ... you're the friends that I've always wanted. But ... I noticed ... I noticed that there was something more ... that I wanted. I ... I want to try for that sometime."  
  
Seiji's curiosity was peaked, but he again waited. Ryo surprised him by saying no more.  
  
Seiji was disturbed when he completed the healing. Ryo hadn't said anything after his odd confession. What more was he looking for? And why did he speak out to him about it?  
  
Seiji's heart fluttered. Had Ryo been insinuating that ...? No, it couldn't be. Ryo seemed into Nasute. Right?  
  
Seiji took a leap. "Do you mean that ... you want to get closer to Nasute?"  
  
Ryo's startled gaze snapped to Seiji. "What? ... No! ... No, that's not it ..." His cheeks flushed.  
  
Seiji was at a complete loss. Ryo didn't want to be close to Nasute? Then ... what was he trying to say? Who did he want to go after?  
  
Emotions quivered within his breast. Fear, trepidation, excitement, joy, terror, hope. So many things that he'd never be able to name but understood. He was scared about what he wanted to say, afraid of the answer he may receive. But hope ... damn that emotion. It never fully died, no matter how hard one tried.  
  
And it was hope that made him speak. "Then ... Ryo, do you want to get closer ... to me?"  
  
  
  
A/N: There you go!!! Misa so HAPPY!!!! Review quickly, and I'll get the next one out faster!  
  
Here is my hello, real quick!  
  
Quiet Chaos - I only wish I could do that. Thank you so much for the beautiful compliments! This one is especially for you!!! 


	8. Frozen

I'm immensely sorry for the wait, and I know you've been waiting a long time, so I'm just going to shut up after telling you I made it fairly long (for me) and about 2700 words and almost 8 full pages. so I'm kind of trying to apologize a bit more. I'll shut up so you can read now.

WARNING - Uh, there's cursing, sap, and fighting. I can't think of much else. Oh! Spoilers coming up, maybe not so much in this chapter as the upcoming ones. I've noticed that this story is taking a spin from The second and third OAV's, so if you don't want anything ruined for you, you've been warned. That's what this part of the manuscript is all about, you know?

Disclaimer - I thought I owned Ronin Warriors, but then I realized that I have no money, so it must have been a dream. sigh ...

Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 8

Ryo's eyes widened immeasurably, and he started to stutter. "I..."

Seiji sighed. Perhaps that leap had been a bit suicidal. He found his heart breaking despite his best efforts. Dammit! Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut?! Then, at least, he would have had his false hope to cling to. Now, everything was falling apart around him. He looked away from Ryo and found himself feeling ... lost. Lost and, oddly, alone. Maybe Ryo didn't know who he was searching for. He hadn't said exactly-

"Seiji, please don't hate me ..."

Seiji's eyes snapped up. "Wha ...?" His eyes widened. Tears were flowing down Ryo's face, and the boy was looking strickenly at him. The sheets were back up, covering the Rekka bearer's chest and stomach once more.

"I swear, I won't say anything about it again. I'm sorry. I just ... I don't want to lose what we already have ... but if you want I can leave-"

Seiji leaned in close. "Ryo," the blonde sighed, "shut up." With that said, Seiji pulled himself in that last inch, and their lips met. It wasn't any long, deep, complicated thing, just a basic meeting of the lips. And yet Seiji found himself completely breathless. Ryo's mouth was soft and sweet, and the sigh that passed through those lips made him shiver. When he pulled back, Ryo's eyes were closed, and he was leaning into Seiji. His eyes fluttered open, and the beautiful blue orbs showed, again, that myriad of emotions. Confusion was the highest.

"Seiji?"

"Shh," the Kourin wearer replied, Putting a finger against Ryo's lips. He was becoming more obsessed with Ryo's lips than before this day had started. "I've waited for this day for a long time. Don't ruin it."

Those descriptive eyes widened even wider. "You ... don't hate me?"

"Of course not," Seiji assured him, smiling gently. "I've never hated you, and I never will." Doubt filled Ryo's eyes. "Have I ever lied to you?" The boy could only shake his head. His jaw seemed to be working on something, and Seiji had a feeling it was something self-depricating, so he repeated his plea for silence before continuing. "I've been watching you from the sidelines since I first met you. I've been interested in you since you came to rescue me in that cave. And I found out that I loved you - truly loved you - right about now." Seiji, despite his upbringing, was almost horrified with the facts he'd just spewed out for the entire world to see.

Ryo, for his part, was desperately trying to imitate a carp, a look which made it hard for Seiji to keep a straight face. "I ..." Ryo garbled out, and this time Seiji did laugh. Ryo glared at him in annoyance.

"Calm down, Ryo," Seiji told him. "I'm not asking that you love me in return. Just ... know that I accept."

The question of what, exactly, he accepted was in Ryo's eyes, but Seiji ignored it, letting Ryo interpret it. In all honesty, Seiji didn't quite know what he was accepting. Everything. Anything Ryo wanted, Seiji would give it to him. That was his silent promise. I accept everything, Ryo. I accept you.'

-----------

Ryo felt hope fill his heart and leave him breathless. Maybe ... maybe, this wasn't just a dream. No, it felt real. Seiji's lips still tasted sweet on Ryo's own, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded. And cold.

Cold?

"It got cold awful quick," Seiji said, his no-datchi suddenly in his arms. Ryo hadn't done much more than realize a change in temperature before Seiji had begun to take defensive maneuvers. He felt awe border lining agitation. The man was so in-control it sometimes made Ryo sick. "Ryo, don your armor. Now."

Ryo nodded, unable to fight that authoritative voice. "Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!!!" He pulled his twin katana out from their sheaths and stood in apprehension. He saw them coming up from the floorboards, from the cracks in the window, shapeless and indistinct but slowly taking on form.

Can you hear us?'

Can you see us?'

"Seiji, they're everywhere," he murmured, and he could feel them swirling around him, touching him. He was afraid he panicked, backing up against the bed. "Seiji!"

Seiji turned to him, and Ryo could see his confusion. "Ryo, I don't see them anywhere."

But that was impossible! They were all over the damn room!

Ryo started trembling from the cold. He felt like his body and brain were going numb. How can Seiji not be this damn cold? "Seiji, get them off of me!" He swung his swords, trying to get them away, but the metal just slid through their bodies like ... like they were ghosts. "Get off!"

But the beings circled him, trying to grab him, and he could only try to dance away from all of their hands. They all seemed to be attacking him, wanting to get to him. Not Seiji. He looked up for a second and saw that none had gone near the Kourin bearer.

Seiji came forward towards the Rekka bearer, and the bodies moved away from Ryo. He can't see us,' one of them complained. And he can't hear us.' They tried to get to Ryo, but Seiji instantly had him in a hug, trying to keep him warm. In more than one way, it worked. It's because he never wore the white armor.'

Ryo froze as if they were grabbing at him again. They knew that he'd worn Hariel before. And they ... he tried to wrap his mind around the implications. Had these ... things once worn the legendary armor as well? Was that what he would become because of wearing that cursed armor? Why were they trying to get to him? What did they want? He didn't want to end up like that, bodiless and deformed. He wanted to keep trying with Seiji. He wanted to be here, with his friends. He wasn't going to turn into one of them without a fight. Or did he even have a choice?

We have no choice.'

We have to get him alone.'

But they won't leave him here for us.'

We know.'

Ryo turned his attention to Seiji, somehow knowing what their words meant. "They're going to attack you! You need to get out of here!"

"Ryo, I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm not leaving you alone!" Seiji pulled back, and Ryo dropped his hands from around the blonde before his swords cut something.

"Seiji, you have to go!" Ryo cried, trying to shove Seiji away. He didn't budge. "C'mon, Seiji! They don't want to attack me!" And just where the hell did those words come from?

"Oh? So now they're friendly?!" Ryo was startled by the heat in Seiji's voice. "These things we're talking about, they're the ones that almost froze you to death, am I right?" He gave Ryo no time to answer, gripping his upper arms tightly. "I'm not leaving you! Not after I just found out that ..." He struggled with words, something Ryo had never seen before. Seiji's hands gripped tighter, and even through Ryo's armor he could feel the grip as a powerful force. Ryo hid a wince of pain. He wanted to hear what Seiji had to say. "I CAN'T lose you now," the blonde whispered fiercely. "I haven't gotten to truly KISS you yet."

Ryo's heart fluttered funnily, banging down to the soles of his shoes, then up in his throat somewhere. He did his infamous carp imitation again, mixed with that well-known deer in headlights look. Seiji's mouth twitched, telling him how utterly ridiculous he looked.

If we can get to the one who sees ...'

He's ready for us.'

He can hear us,'

He can see us.'

Ryo shivered as a liquid form dared come up and brush his legs. Ryo made a dodging motion that drew him further away from Seiji, then slipped his swords into their sheaths. He caught eyes with a very disgruntles Seiji. "You need to leave. I won't be killed. I ... don't think they want to kill me."

"Dammit, Ryo, I am NOT-"

"We don't have a choice!" Ryo snapped. "If you don't leave they'll attack you, and YOU can't even see them. I'd be left on my own anyway, and you'd be ..." Ryo refused to voice that. "Trust me, Seiji. Please."

Seiji hesitated, whether from the words or Ryo's pleading voice. "Ryo," he whispered, and this time Ryo did flinch. Whatever pleading he'd let into his voice, it was nothing compared to Seiji's palpable pain.

"Seiji, go," Ryo murmured. "And keep Byakuen and the others away." He wanted to cry for ignoring Seiji's need, but it had to be done, and quickly. The cold was making him start to lose focus again. "PLEASE," he said, his voice cracking, when Seiji took another step forward. "I WON'T die. I promise."

"I can't-"

"Go!" Ryo screamed, and sounds were heard from downstairs. "I know what I'm doing, believe it or not," Ryo lied. And he didn't know WHY he was so sure about everything he was saying. He very well could die; they very well may want to kill him. But he thought he knew that his words were true, despite not knowing, if that made any sense whatsoever. He ... just did, and he trusted his instincts enough to trust this shaky belief. "Trust me, Seiji," he repeated, knowing that it was a weakness and hating himself for exploiting it.

Seiji turned to the opening door. "Everyone, stay out!" he shouted. "We're fine!" There was a distinct outcry from Shuu, and Ryo was fairly certain he'd said, "bullshit!" Seiji amended, saying, "we have things under control. Keep Nasute, Jun, and Byakuen away." He closed the door quite forcefully, the turned to Ryo. Still staring into his love's confused face, he spoke. "I'll keep them away, Ryo, but I'm not leaving."

Ryo took one last look at Seiji's violet eyes and just fucking gave up. "You have to keep your distance from me, no matter what." Ryo knew Seiji would hesitate before he even saw it on the man's face. "PROMISE me, Seiji."

"Fine," Seiji said, and Ryo heard a closing of emotions in his voice. It made Ryo ache. "But I'll come to your aid immediately if I feel I need to."

And Ryo knew that that was the best he would get. He quickly decided not to push the matter, merely nodded and backed away from Seiji. The temperature dropped a handful of degrees with every step he took.

Should we grab him?'

He can still hear us, correct?'

Can you hear us?'

Can you see us?'

"I see you," Ryo whispered, and his eyes followed a whispering shape as it swirled around his ankles.

Should we tell him?'

No, he'll run.'

Should we get him alone?'

Should we make him alone?'

"Seiji won't interfere," Ryo quickly promised, and they're voices got excited. Ryo had the crazy thought that he must look insane to Seiji, who could only hear his side of the conversation.

He can hear us!'

Does he trust us?'

Will he let us?'

"Ryo spread his arms wide. Take me is you wish." Because he knew that that was what they wanted. Seiji's anguished cry was drowned out by their elated voices. They were ghosts, he reasoned to himself, shapeless and shiftless and alone, no one to see them or hear them or know that they were trapped in this plane. They wanted to be seen, heard, understood. And they wanted to inhabit his body. "But I'll need myself back," he added, not sure if they could hear him.

He offers?'

Does he know?'

Shh ... he can hear us.'

Ryo almost bit his lip, trying not to smile. That last one, the one with the squeaky voice who kept talking about his hearing ... he was kind of funny. In a I'm-so scared-I-could-pee-my-pants kind of way.

But his friend ...'

He said he wouldn't interfere.'

But last time ...'

That had been a tiger!'

Shut UP, he can HEAR us!'

Ryo found himself almost amused, despite what they were discussing, despite the cold and the fear. Now that they weren't really paying attention to the fact that another human could hear them, they sounded much more ... human. Only dead.

That put a damper on most of his amusement.

Your friend must leave,' one voice ordered him, seeming to realize that they weren't alone.

But he can't see us,' another argued.

He can't see us.'

Yes, he hasn't worn the white armor-'

"What does the white armor have to do with this?" Ryo asked. He saw Seiji stiffen out of the corner of his eye; he heard the sudden intake of breath. Shuu was still pounding on his door, demanding entrance. Jun's wails mixed with the food-loving Ronin's shouts, and Ryo thought it best to just blank it all out.

That we shall not say ...'

Is he smitten?'

Is he controlled?'

Don't know ... the link is weak ...'

Must get it ...'

He can HEAR US!'

Oops ...'

Ryo bit his lip to keep from laughing, knowing where that would lead, and caught Seiji's eye. He attempted to send the blonde a reassuring look, but Ryo was still afraid, and he was so cold his feet were starting to feel numb, and his hands were like ice. He turned his head away, grateful that they weren't attacking. At least not yet. He doubted he'd be able to hold his sword.

He wanted to curl up into a ball to attempt to stay warm, but he kept his arms out wide in a show of surrender. The shapeless shadows turned to him - how he knew that, he wasn't sure - and stopped bickering.

Should we take him?'

He offers.'

Will he die?'

Doesn't matter. We shall do what we must.'

But ... one of out own?'

Hush, fool! He can hear us!'

Yes, we KNOW, Jorken.'

Then let's just shut up and do this!'

Ryo tensed up despite himself. He couldn't believe he was allowing this. He was an idiot. What if he never got his body back? What if he never got to kiss Seiji?

And then the cold was sliding up his legs, and he thought back to a moment before, wishing for the warmth he'd had when he was practically numb. The shadowy forms rose up. They traced up his chest, two holding his arms still as he instinctively moved to protect himself. Two more stayed with his legs and held them still. The rest whirled on to his chest, making his breathing laborious and painful. He had to open his mouth to breathe so that he could get in enough air.

And they flew in, flying down his throat, choking him like before. He struggled against his handlers despite himself, trying to get free and fight. They said nothing to him now, but held him down as he thrashed uselessly, making gagging noises that surely drew Seiji's attention. He wasn't able to breathe. He had to breathe!

His entire body grew cold, his heart slowed drastically, seeming to have to fight for each pulsation. He still couldn't breathe. He grew tired - cold. So cold...

His chest contracted into itself, screaming for air. His eyesight blurred and dimmed, and he thought he saw Seiji coming towards him; the ghost-things let go of him to stop Seiji from getting near - he couldn't find the strength to fight, but he had to, he had to help Seiji somehow - he heard Seiji scream his name, heard his heart give one last, pathetic beat before-

A/N: There you go! I'm gonna stop there, cause I'm still the evil bitch I always was. If there's anyone left after this HUGE leave of office, PLEASE review. It'll be the only way this is continued, because I'm really mad at myself for taking so long to update. I would have done it two months ago, like I had with the rest of my stories, but my computer crashed AGAIN. I swear this damn machine has it in for me.

I'm certain none of you remember what you wrote, but I'm going to say hi anyway really fast, so:

Zorra - Hope you got an "A" on the story thing! Well, it's taken ... 8 months, but I finally got Ryo attacked again! Happiness and some such stuff! There you go. And are you psychic??? Hope not. That'd be scary. (Extra note - Hey, thanks for everything with you e-mails. I hope my explanation was helpful. Now that the Internet's back, I can talk to you again without feeling like someone's watching, if you want. I'll be rewriting this bugger, too, after I'm finished. Let me get this up, then I'll check out you stories.)

Quiet Chaos - I'm always evil, haven't you noticed? BeamsThanks so much for the praise! I'm not worthy! BowsI'm really sorry I haven't been here to update for you all. I feel like a jerk. Review? P.S. - Your window worked.

silverwyvern - I'VE MADE YOU WAIT SO LONG!!! I hope you haven't given up on this fic, I usually don't take this damn long with updates, honestly, I swear it ... I'm really sorry, thank you SO much for putting me on your faves, you don't know how much that means to me ... I'm really sorry, please come and review. I hope my lack of updates hasn't gotten you off the Ronin Warrior high; if Wildfire Friendship is still on and you haven't read her story, it's awesome ... kill some time reading hers while you grumble about my lack of updates ...

raiven - Here's some LONG-awaited for info on those "creepy things" in the first chapter, and I've gotten Ryo and Seiji closer together kind of, so please, PLEASE be here to review ... I'm really, really sorry ... I haven't given up on this story yet, so I hope you haven't...

shuichi'sgirl - I'm really sorry I've taken so long!!! I saw your e-mail and wanted to write again ... but then my Internet crashed ... criesHopefully you're still around, I really don't want to lose you and the others ... thanks for liking my stories ... yes, I saw that you reviewed both of them around the same time ... I was so happy ... review?

Uhmm ... there you all go. PLEASE BE HERE!!! I know I haven't updated since, like, April, but I'm really sorry about that and can I make it up to you??? Review and tell me, and if it's in my power, I'll do it. For example, I can't make it warm again, but I CAN make my updates faster, or make my updates longer, or something. Tell me? Thanx to EVERYONE who is still with me and reviews ... I'm hoping for three reviews or so ... I'll need a little incentive to skip homework and come write ... gods, but my classes suck. Thank you again!!! 


	9. Awakening

Finals are over, and though I still have 2 out of 4 projects to do, I'm sending this out! Doesn't my sacrifice just make you want to read and review? 

I'm happy though, because I passed all of my finals but APUSH, which had it had a messed-up curve. If the curve had been normal, I would've gotten a B-. Oh, well. Anyway, I'll shut up and let you read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ronin Warriors, despite what the little voices in my head say. ;; Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that ... I own nothing! Nothing, damn you!

WARNING - Uhmm ... mushiness ( a little), and advancement of the plot by small margins! Can you believe it? Oh! And a little cursing.

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Help Me, Hold Me

Chapter 9

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Seiji felt a sudden coldness creeping around him, seeming to tear at his flesh. Obviously, the demons were attacking him, but he couldn't see or hear them, like Ryo could.

Ryo!

He turned to his love, worried, as the cold suddenly disappeared from around him. A strangled sound escaped his lips. Ryo was ... he couldn't think of a word other than dead. Dead and standing. His eyes were glazed, and the trembling he'd witnessed earlier had fled, leaving him ... frozen. He was a statue of Ryo. It couldn't be the Rekka bearer himself. There was no light, no shine. Just ... death. He just stood there, his arms out, hands limp, eyes glazed, chest still...

The choked sound became a panicked scream.

Seiji ran up to Ryo, but his feet had hardly moved before the boy had begun to fall, his eyes still open and unseeing, his mouth gaping slightly, his body too still ... too inert to be alive...

Seiji caught the boy, clasping him into his arms, and then chaos erupted behind them, as voices and hands grabbed at him and Ryo. But he wasn't letting the boy go; he couldn't let him go! Ryo couldn't be dead!

He shoved all of the hands away from him, pushing Ryo off of his chest, searching the eyes for something, something ... dammit, anything! Any sense of life, any sign of something more ... something real...

The eyes flickered once, twice, and Seiji gave out a cry of elation, hugging Ryo to him again, feeling a heartbeat pounding an unsteady rhythm. He thought he was going to cry in that instant. "Ryo ... you're alive..."

"Mmm ... you're warm..."

Seiji had immediately noticed, of course, that Ryo's body temperature had dropped drastically. "We're going to have to start this whole damn thing over again," Seiji complained, but the sound of relief was too strong for anyone to think he was truly angry.

"I have a body ... I finally can WALK again..."

He heard more voices, some panicked, some angry. He didn't understand their words. They were too foreign to him just then.

A fresh pounding sounded between his ears, covering up all voices but Ryo's ... Ryo's gravelly voice that spoke what he couldn't believe. What he WOULDN'T believe. "Ryo ... what are you saying?" Seiji asked carefully, looking into Ryo's still-blank gaze, watching as his eyes lit on his, watching as the lips he'd wanted to kiss so badly turned into a pained smile.

"You HEAR me."

Seiji's blood froze. "O-Of course I do, Ryo," Seiji spoke, but his voice quivered. The shapeless voices around them grew decidedly more towards the panicked side. "What happened?"

"Ryo..."

"Yes, that's your name." Seiji tried valiantly to hold a trace of calm in his voice. "Ryo, what-"

Wait. Oh my God, WAIT. Ryo had told ... those ... THINGS that they could have his body. He had ... had thrown his arms wide and OFFERED himself ... so that they could ... could what? And they ... they...

Seiji choked on something lodged in his throat. They couldn't have. Ryo was too strong, too smart to do that. Unless he truly wanted them to ... or maybe ... oh God...

"He truly accepted us," Ryo's voice said again, and he lifted his arms to study the hands. He clenched and unclenched them, then looked up in wonder. "You can hear us?"

Seiji felt sick. He backed up, scooting on the floor in a highly humiliating pose - if he'd given enough to care. He watched as Ryo smiled sadly at him, then looked around. Seiji recognized the others then, staring at Ryo as if he'd lost his mind. They didn't know what had happened.

Good God, what HAD happened!

Seiji shook his head. "No." It was a flat denial of the obvious, a flat refusal of acceptance. If these ... CREATURES have somehow infested Ryo, then how ... how are they ever going to get out? Will they? Who could make them without hurting Ryo?

And his breath ... his breath had left him ... Ryo had died ... would he die for real if those monsters left?

Would HE have to choose between a body controlled by another or a dead love? He'd done that once before ... with Talpa ... he couldn't do it again ... he couldn't ... he didn't have the strength to...

Tears streamed down Seiji's face. Ryo was gone. Right in front of his eyes, just like before. He'd been there. He'd been right there! If only he hadn't been stupid enough to let Ryo fight these guys alone ... he could have beaten them, together, they would've have defeated those monsters! And now ... now, because of him ... Ryo was...

He clenched his eyes shut, but it didn't stop the hounding pain ... the pain that was tearing him in two. Before, with Talpa ... he'd convinced himself that it was the only way ... that Ryo HAD to sacrifice himself ... that it wasn't truly his fault, but Talpa's that had caused Ryo's sacrifice to occur. If not for Yuli and that Jewel of Life ... The Jewel...

His eyes snapped open. Could it work again? Could the Jewel take away the evil in Ryo?

But they'd hidden the jewel. Far away, in a place where no one could find. And "they" wasn't even the proper term. Ryo had hidden it. No one but Ryo knew where it was. And Ryo was somewhat unavailable right now.

That thought almost sent Seiji into laughter. But no. That would be stupid. Had to retain control. Couldn't lose control. Everyone else was clueless to the situation. He had to inform everyone. Maybe Touma could come up with an idea. They would get Ryo back. They HAD to get Ryo back...

"Seiji, what is Ryo talking about?"

Seiji slowly turned his head to Shuu, who's own face was flickering between Ryo and Seiji. The Kourin bearer's lips thinned, not out of harshness, but the desire to hide his trembling. But no matter how disciplined his movements were, his voice still cracked. "Ryo's gone."

That put too much finality on the entire situation, and the effort of keeping his control was almost breaking him.

"What do you mean, he's gone? He's sitting right there, man," Shuu told him, gesturing to the man staring at his hands in wonderment.

Seiji's gaze was inevitably drawn, as if by some evil force, to the one he'd fallen in love with. The boy was clenching and unclenching his fists now, hard enough to dig his fingernails deeply into the flesh. As if pain itself was something to be revered. His hair was the same, his lips still beautiful, his skin still creamy smooth. But his eyes were a bit too dead, a bit too ... DIFFERENT, somehow. And his aura had changed. It wasn't Ryo. It wasn't Ryo anymore. Ryo was...

"Seiji, please," Shin whispered, "tell us what happened."

Seiji's lip finally slipped out of his control and trembled. "I ... I'm not quite sure," Seiji answered honestly. He was going to be completely honest. And pray the others gave him some sort of grace for what he'd done. "Ryo ... He..."

Seiji ended up giving a by-play of everything while Ryo sat there, gawking at one body part after another. Seiji's eyes strayed from the floor to Ryo, then quickly back to the floor countless times before his little story was over.

"You let him!" was the first thing out of Shuu's mouth, and Seiji couldn't help the flinch he made at the words. He'd been screaming them at himself since he'd found out, but it was something entirely different when another said it out loud to him.

"'Tis no true consolation, but if he had interfered with our process, we would have killed him." Ryo looked up from his feet as everyone turned to him. The ebony-haired man made a face that resembled an angry badger. "After all, he could not see us, nor hear us."

"Wait a minute." Shuu put his hand in front of him in a sign to halt, then pulled it back to rub his temple. "Let me get this straight. Ryo allowed these ... these..."

"Ghosts," Ryo - no, dammit, not Ryo - supplied helpfully.

Shuu spared the boy with a sardonic stare. "Right. These GHOSTS" - he said it as if testing the word out for the first time - "into his body, and died during the process. Now-"

He was cut off again by ... by the Not-Ryo. "He is not dead. Merely ... sleeping."

Seiji almost fainted in relief. Ryo was alive. Somehow, somehow, they had to bring him back. They had to get rid of the ghosts and ... hold on. How did ghosts take over Ryo's body in the first place? He didn't know much about this kind of supernatural nonsense, but he didn't think ghosts could take over someone's body. Spirits? Yeah. Demons? Sure. But there's a definite difference between demons and ghosts, and a fine line between spirits and ghosts. A ghost was the spirit of a dead person, but a spirit is either a soul or a being belonging to an object or place. They were dead similar - no pun intended - but ghosts didn't take over a person's body. The only spirit in that is the soul. The spirit that takes over bodies is the creature haunting an object or place. A very fine line, but a line, nonetheless. (1)

"Right," Shuu said sarcastically, biting into Seiji's thoughts. "Sleeping. And now we need to find a way to get them all out without hurting Ryo?"

"Show us to it," Not-Ryo said quietly. "Only when we destroy the White armor shall we leave this body."

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A/N: Yayness! The thing has finally been updated! Happiness! Anyone still here? Review, and I'll make sure 500 words are there for each of you!

(1) I know that's confusing, and I'm having a hard time explaining. So here:

Ghost - a lost soul

Spirit - a being, similar to a ghost, inhabiting a place or object

Those may not be the exact definitions, but, for this story, they are. Bite me. And sorry for being so confusing!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! To zorra: Sorry about all the mess-ups. I'm not really paying attention. I'm trying to get everything done at school and at home and here, so I'm kind of rushing. Sorry! Oh! And thanks for the bribe; sorry it took so long, and I do have an IM. I'm only a hotmail IM, or whatever that is, so ... sorry if that's a pain. Comps and I don't get along, though, and I'm not willing to push my luck. Review?


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